N.Z. Pack Sluggish: Slow Service To Backs

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23024, 15 August 1949, Page 5

N.Z. Pack Sluggish: Slow Service To Backs

RUGBY TEST INQUEST

(From Claude King, Press. Assn. Pep. with the All Blacks.) (10.30 a.m.) JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 14. The South African newspapers and special commentators are unanimous that the All Blacks lost any chance they may have had through the sluggishness of the forwards and slow service to the backs. Louis Babrow stated; “The All Blacks’ forwards appeared to lack the dash and fire which characterised their play at Newlands. We saw little of the intensive backing up which is typical of their play.

“Savage played bravely, but took tremendous punishment and his service to Kearney was slow, though this was often due to slow heeling from the scrums.

"Kearney, as a result, had little room in which to move and the New Zealand backs rarely looked dangerous.” Tony Harris said: “The Springboks won on their merits. They paved the wav for their backs. "On the other hand, there was no zest in the play of the New Zealand pack and the backs were hampered by slow service.” This lack of dash among the New Zealand forwards has nonplussed the team and all observers. Effect of Altitude? “The only possible explanation is the effect of altitude on the players and the intense dry climate.” At Newlands, for the first test, where the weather approximated that of New Zealand, the All Blacks were in fine fettle. Immediately on coming to Transvaal after the test thev repeated this dash, but subsequently in Rhodesia and then, on returning to Transvaal, there has been a fluctuation in form. Jack McNab, probably the fittest member of the side, who neither smokes nor drinks, and who gives the utmost attention to training, said after Saturday: "I cannot understand it. There were times on Saturday when I was gasping for breath. I am nowhere near as fit as in New Zealand last season, yet I have trained just as hard." Beaten in Line-outs. There is a feeling that the reason for the All Blacks being beaten in the line-outs was the absence of Willocks. In the first test he was a fine binding force between Harvey and Grant. In that match, when Grant won the ball. New Zealand held this advantage. Grant has no superior as a high jumper for the ball, but sometimes becomes unbalanced and loses possession. However, when Willocks is in the side, it is noticeable that if Grant does lose the ball after taking it, it still comes out on the New Zealand side

On Saturday, Grant at times suffered the same fate at times as TI. Koch did in the first test. If he won the ball, he was pulled through to the Springbok side and robbed of it. Shrewd Dodge Unnoticed.

A shrewd line-out practice adopted by the Springboks on Saturday also went unnoticed by the referee, namely, the forwards linking arms to prevent the All Blacks from breaking through.

Several members of the test side left this morning with Alec McDonald for the Game Reserve. Their visit will be a shorter one than that of the non-test players last week-end, in order to have all the players back in Pretoria in ample time for Wednesday's game against Northern Universities.